It is difficult to stably incorporate, in an O/W formulation having a non-greasy and refreshing feeling, powders highly effective for UV protection, for example, titanium oxide having a specific gravity of about 4.9 g/cm3 or zinc oxide having a specific gravity of about 5.7 g/cm3 because of its high specific gravity. Although thickening of its water phase has been investigated to solve this problem, an increase in the amount of such powders has resulted in failure.
For example, as described in Patent Document 1, an O/W cosmetic composition is prepared by dispersing hydrophobic ultraviolet protection powders in an oil component, and dispersing the powder dispersed phase in water by means of a thickener polymer having an emulsifying capacity. Such a cosmetic composition has however a high viscosity owing to the thickener polymer, and is not satisfactory in providing a refreshing feeling or cool feeling which the O/W cosmetic composition aims at. Moreover, such a cosmetic composition is not suited for use as a lotion or mist.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-11-12131